Question

Why is it that sometimes higher level managers do not know what improvements are needed in their company

Answer 1

It is said that one needs to dirty the hands into the system to understand the ground reality. While the higher level managers would have mostly passed through these stages before climbing up the organizational hierarchy, there also could be a possibility that they may have not got a proper exposure to the activities what the lower level employees are doing currently in the department under such managers. This could be mainly because the technology evolves and so does the business and working environment of the employees. If there is a gap between the lower level employees and the higher level managers in understanding the operational difficulties or implementation issues at the lower levels, then there arises concerns. When the higher level managers do not bother to take much interest in the concerns of the lower level managers, such managers in turn becomes oblivion to the fact that these employees are needed to be cared for because it is through them that the business goals could be achieved successfully. Moreover, with technological and other factors impacting the work environment at the lower levels, the training is mainly imparted to the lower level employees only, to undertake the task in the practical world of business in an efficient manner. However, the same training is not expected to be imparted to the higher level managers because it is not through them that these operations activities are to be accomplished. In the process, it so happens that the higher level managers end up not being in the position to empathy with their lower level employees because they are not trained to understand the complexities that is involved in such operations.

Hence, sometimes, even inadvertently, owing to lack of training or knowledge, sometimes the higher level managers do not know what improvements are needed in their company. This could be taken care of by convening periodical meetings with the lower level representatives and understanding the concerns from the employee’s point of view, in order to be in the position to comprehend the situational difficulties and concerns in a better manner.